Match 6 vs SACS (20 overs)
Lost by 29 runs
SACS 127-3
Caldicott 98 all out (Leney 22)
The T20 day started with the much awaited fixture against our good friends from SACS. We were playing them at Claremont Cricket Club as SACS’ cricket pitches were undergoing serious drainage work.
SACS are one of the top cricketing prep schools in Cape Town and their class was apparent from the off with some technically impressive batsmen coping with our attack. J. Marsh and J. Masih both bowled well at the start but wickets were hard to come by. Leney, Hampshire and Crowston all picked up a wicket in their respective spells and we thought we had done very well to restrict them to 102-3 off 19. The final over then went for 25 as one of their key batters got going (in a big way!) and so they posted a challenging 128 to win.
In response we were a little disappointing with the bat. We were very much in the game, until about the 15th over, but we were losing wickets at regular intervals and we failed to put together any meaningful partnerships. Leney’s contribution of 22 was the most significant with the bat, but we needed to be far more resilient and not give our wickets away. We were all out after 18.2 overs for 98, which was the same score as SACS had at that stage of their innings so it was a great shame not to bat out our full 20. Nevertheless it was another game in which we competed with one of their top schools so there were plenty of positives to draw from it.
Match 7 vs Hlengisa (20 overs)
Won by 40 runs
Caldicott 102-5 (Crowston 28, Bell 23)
Hlengisa 62 all out (Snushall 3-11, Randev 2-20)
It was good to get back to winning ways against a competitive, yet technically weak, Hlengisa team. We dominated the match and it was good to see some contributions from a number of different boys.
Hlengisa are from the Nyanga township, a school who we have sponsored in the past. We have built cricket nets, improved ICT facilities and provided classroom materials at their school with donations which we have raised in the built up to previous tours. We will be making a sizable donation again this year, via SACS, to help in any way we can.
Having won the toss, Ferneyhough made 13, before Bell (23) and Crowston (28) batted well together. We posted 102 which was a fair effort against their hostile seam attack.
In response, they never looked like getting close to our total. Randev pick up a couple of wickets, Snushall got 3 and four bowlers got one wicket. It was a pleasing all round performance at the end of a long day. We enjoyed an excellent meal in their clubhouse restaurant before heading back to our hotel.
Match 8 vs Reddam House (30 overs)
Won by 61 runs
Caldicott 132-6 (Hampshire 19, Sangha 19, Marsh 16, Mercer 16)
Reddam 71 all out (Glyn 3-6)
Another beautiful day in Cape Town and the boys enjoyed a well-deserved lie in before we visited Reddam House Prep for the first time. Located near Constantia, the match was played on their glorious 1st XI oval.
Caldicott performed well and ran out deserved winners in the end. It was our 5th victory in Cape Town which was an excellent achievement and easily our best record in South Africa. Contributions from Maile (12), Marsh (16), Hampshire (19), Sangha (19), Mercer (16) and Randev (11) enabled us to reach 132 off our allocation of 30 overs. It was a very windy day and the many extras they bowled certainly assisted in boosting our total.
In reply 8 bowlers played their part. Sangha and Randev opened up with no reward with Marsh and Snushall then coming on with their off breaks. The latter picked up 1-10 in his 5 over spell. Ferneyhough and Ward each earned a South African scalp in their respective spells. Maile returned with figures of 1-8 before Glyn cleaned up the tail with 3 quick wickets. We fielded quite well and our class certainly saw us through in the end.
It had been a great day which culminated in an excellent win. After the match we headed to the Brasserie, a lovely restaurant only 5 minutes from the school. We enjoyed the final tour dinner, a few speeches were made and all the boys won an award. Sam Hack won the award of ‘Top Tourist’ for his excellent contribution on and off the pitch. However, all the boys had enjoyed excellent tours and they were told to be proud of their efforts.
Match 9 vs Bishops Prep (Time)
Lost by three wickets
Caldicott 92 all out (29.3 overs) (Glyn 23)
Bishops 96-7 (34.5 overs) (Crowston 4-9)
The final game on tour was an early start against a talented Bishops side. All the boys had enjoyed the previous night’s tour dinner, but they were very much focussed on this final match and were keen to finish on a high. The challenge that lay ahead was a formidable one: Bishops are regarded as one of the top sporting schools in South Africa. Famous cricketing old boys include Craig Kieswetter who was recently in their prep school 1st XI.
We won the toss and elected to bat. They bowled excellent lines and lengths and we scraped to 92 off 29.3 overs. Glyn scored a quick fire 23 and was dismissed by a superb caught and bowled. His innings included three big sixes which entertained the crowd, but it was just a shame he couldn’t bat for a few more overs having got in. Leney, Randev and Crowston made double figures and we felt a little frustrated not to have scored a few more runs. Their ground fielding and catching was superb and it was certainly something we were going to have to learn from. Their point fielder was potentially one of the best prep school fielders we had ever seen.
In reply we put in a superb bowling and fielding effort of our own. Crowston returned with figures of 8 overs, 2 maidens 4 wickets for just 9 runs which was an incredible effort. He was ably supported by Masih, Ward, Bell, Leney, Hampshire and Marsh who all bowled well. In the field, the spirit and concentration of our boys was first class. Bishops won the game in the 35 over which showed how well we had contained them. They were getting nervy when the wickets began to fall which was testament to how well we competed with them.
Despite the narrow three wicket loss, it was a great effort and it showed how far we had come on as a team over the ten days. Well done to all the boys for playing their part. The final record of Played 9, Won 5, Lost 4 was a very pleasing return after an immensely enjoyable tour. The way the boys conducted themselves on and off the pitch and the way in which they got on with each other was especially rewarding. They deserve a huge amount of credit for the effort they put in, for which: very well done. Playing nine matches in ten days, and in the South African heat, was a formidable challenge, but one in which they took on with excitement and they should be proud of their performances. Things are looking good for next term and I hope the boys all continue to push themselves into becoming better players over the months ahead.
Thank you to everyone who played their part on the tour: parents, staff and boys. It has been a pleasure organising such a memorable trip.
TWEC
